Swiss fighter jet crashes in Netherlands, pilot survives

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Two fighter jets from a Swiss Air Force stunt squad collided Thursday in the Netherlands during training exercises for an airshow, the Swiss Defense Ministry said.

The pilot of one plane ejected to safety while the other aircraft landed safely at a nearby airfield, the ministry said in a statement. Spokeswoman Karin Suini said at least one of the planes was a Northrop F-5 Tiger.

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The Friesland regional fire department in the northern Netherlands said one of the jets crashed into a lake near the town of Bitgum. There were no reports of injuries on the ground.

A Swiss team was investigating the incident and the Swiss squad canceled its participation in the air show, according to a defense department statement.

The F-5 Tiger is often used for stunt and formation flying. The jet that crashed had been due to take part in an airshow in Leeuwarden this weekend.

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